The impressive and unbending protesters in Wisconsin have a coordinator -- Harriet Rowan, a senior at UW -- and she's done an impressive job.
University of Wisconsin senior made a spur-of-the-moment decision to coordinate protest efforts, making signs with media talking points and starting a Twitter feed detailing legislative meeting times, union-rally locations and details on day-to-day life in the Capitol.
Other Madison residents have opened their doors to out-of-town strangers, offering a bed to anyone friendly to unions. At the Statehouse, a spread including pizza, chili and artisanal cheeses is offered to hungry protesters. Busloads of supporters from Los Angeles and elsewhere arrive to boost the numbers.
Nearly two weeks after the start of massive protests against Gov. Scott Walker's proposal that would strip nearly all public employees of their collective-bargaining rights erupted, a network of volunteers has emerged as the skeleton that keeps the daily demonstrations alive. ...Arizona Star
Apparently there were demonstrators also in Phoenix and Tucson, particularly Tucson, according to the Star. In Texas, several hundred showed up at the state house in Austin and were cheered on by venerable progressive, Jim Hightower.
Madison Police Department spokesman Joel DeSpain said police figure the crowd of protesters Saturday in downtown Madison, Wis., exceeded last week's Saturday protest, which was estimated at 70,000 people and included a small counter-demonstration by supporters of Gov. Scott Walker.
"We don't have a specific number," DeSpain said. "It's a moving target and very fluid, but definitely one of the largest and most sustained demonstrations we've ever seen."
The crowd could have numbered as high as 100,000, but counting it was difficult because it was spread over parts of State Street as well as the Capitol Square and in the Capitol itself. DeSpain said there were no arrests and called the demonstrators "a very civil group."Part of the civility can be attributed to efforts by demonstrators to self-police themselves. ...USAToday
The New York Times reports a growing personal dislike for Governor Scott Walker.
Although the Wisconsin protests have been peaceful, they have also reflected a strong personal dislike for Mr. Walker, who was elected in November, and many of the placards criticized his relationship with Charles G. and David H. Koch, the billionaire brothers who bankroll conservative causes and Republican campaigns, including Mr. Walker’s race. “We will not tolerate Koch heads in Wisconsin,” one said.
The largest unions have said they would agree to the benefit changes that Mr. Walker is seeking. State officials have said that the resulting cut in take-home pay could be 6 to 8 percent for the typical state worker. But for many lower-income state workers, the proposal would mean cuts in take-home pay of more than 10 percent. ...NYT
There were plenty of demonstrators in the Washington, DC, area. They seemed to express what many Americans believe.
Some organizers said the push to break the power of public workers in Wisconsin, Indiana and New Jersey could trigger a "tea party moment" for activists on the left, crystallizing anger at how the recession and job losses have forced more sacrifices on workers instead of the elite.
At noon at Dupont Circle in the nation's capital, about 1,000 people chanted, cheered and waved signs with messages such as "Solidarity," "United we bargain, divided we beg," and "Workers rights, human rights."
"The American dream is under fire. We don't believe we can just slash and burn our way out of our problems," said Van Jones, the Obama administration's former "green" jobs czar.
"I don't call them public employee unions. They're nurses, cops, and firefighters," said Jones, who stepped down in 2009 amid a controversy over divisive remarks in his past. "We can either punish them and give tax cuts to the governor's friends, or everyone can trim a bit and we can work our way out of trouble together," he said. ...WaPo
